It's also very dependent on zone starts, the goalie, and your regular partner and line you play with. Pointing to one stat where he's not last on the team or among lastin the league, and one that is lacking given the small amount of data compared to other stats, isn't enough to negate that stats where he is last or close to.
Please find me those stats.
The most important stat for a D-man (except for players like Karlsson who are offensive dynamos)
is to prevent goals against and he has been doing a better job at it than 5 of his teammates (total 7)
http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/rat...=50&teamid=21&type=goals&sort=A60&sortdir=ASC
Now maybe it's all luck, maybe he is heavily sheltered compared to others (don't believe it's the case last time I checked) but over a full season, it means something. Again not saying he is still a quality top-4 D-man, but more to negate the statement that he is not a NHL player anymore... Yes, he is close to retirement but showed he is still capable in a reduced role.
So because he's not dead last across the board, he's still an NHL calibre player? Because he's still in the NHL, he must still be a capable NHLer? Flawless logic right there
By your logic, Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren should still be playing in the NHL.
Should also be noted Phillips' numbers got dragged up some by playing with Karlsson. Look at Phillips' with and without on that one.
I'm saying players playing in the NHL more than 1 or 2 games are NHL players, so if Phillips was really "not NHL material", I'd expect him to be about last in all defensive categories. I'm waiting, you only provided Corsi lol
Well, given that on a contender he'd be getting spot work and 12 minutes a night at best, maybe ya. Still probably wouldn't change that his possession numbers are not good, as things like quality of competition generally show that regardless of the players one plays against or ice time, good possession players drive possession regardless. Now, I'm not saying Chris Phillips should be generating a ton of shots, but shouldn't the defensive defenceman not be giving opponents a shooting gallery on his goalie whenever he's on the ice? Shouldn't he be able to effectively retrieve the puck, get it out of his own end, and limit shots against? There's also probably a few contenders whose top 6 he wouldn't even crack.
Phillips is not a good possession player anymore (and that never was really his game to begin with) but so what? All D-men have to be Karlsson or bust? Why do you think all NHL teams have different type of D-men in their line-up?
I'll keep my answers short because it's now at the point of repeating but Micklebot probably said it best. Phillips should have the luxury to play a Luke Richardson's role to end his career.
As for this fanbase and its feelings towards Phillips, there's nobody that questions his dedication to the city and the team, and nobody who doesn't respect everything he's done on and off the ice throughout his career. The problem is now that his play has deteriorated so much, it's painful to watch. Combine this with the team being nowhere close to contending or even consistently making the playoffs, and the idea of getting something for a depreciating asset is understandable. And frankly, if Alfie didn't play his entire career here, I think we can live with guys like Phillips and Neil doing the same.
I'd have no problem see Phillips traded, assuming that's what he wants and we'd get something of decent value. If it's for a 6th round pick, might as well keep him and let him finish his career here.
And when you talk about respect and Phillips, I have read a lot of disrespectful crap on him over the last 2 years, it's astounding and makes this fanbase pathetic IMO. Why don't they let a career Sens decline "in peace"? It's very natural for a hockey player to decline...
The fact that he's here or not wouldn't change much. The team wouldn't be a contender or even making the playoffs. That's freaking silly to think the opposite. Ex NHL players and coaches always repeat the same things : "you win with your best players". But here, people persist non-stop on Phillips and Neil, the guys (with Alfie) that have bled the most for this franchise
Sorry if I find this utterly stupid.
And even if Methot does re-sign, that money could still be used on this barely a floor team to acquire someone more capable on the ice to add even more depth, as right now the Sens only have 2 defencemen who play like top 4s: Karlsson and Methot. Ceci shows potential, but he's young and still has his hiccups. Cowen, he's gotten better this year, but has yet to play like a legit top 4. And how do you know that Phillips' contract taking up some space plays no role in money available for Methot or others? Do you know exactly what the team's internal budget is? If so, please enlighten us all
IMO, Ceci and even Cowen are not that far of top-4 quality, but they need a lot more experience.
Anyway, looks like Methot got re-signed despite Phillips so you can scratch this argument off your list, sorry.
Wow. Just wow. Aiming for just making it into the playoffs, even if barely, is alright? As opposed to actually admitting that this team is young and there's no certainty? And it's not just about the team saying they were going to be competitive, as most teams do, it's that they kept saying it while doing nothing to address the team's biggest weakness from the previous season: the defence. Sure, a system where the forwards help out more would be great, but that defence was and still is seriously lacking. The only permanent change was Borowiecki coming up full time, which had been decided a year prior when they gave him a 1-way on the second year of the contract extension. And then they proceeded to sign him for 3 more years before he'd even proven he could be an everyday NHLer. Now, I think he's shown he can be a capable #6, but if that's the only real change to a defence that played as poorly as the Sens' did in 2013-14, along with simply hoping Cowen would rebound, again, and that a then 20 year old Ceci would be a top 4 despite underlying numbers showing he struggled a bit after his start with the Sens, then that really is laughable.
Ah le wow just wow! lol find it so funny
Do you need someone to hold your hand when crossing the street?
To me it's the same thing... I don't need anybody to tell me that this "team is young and there's no certainty"
Go it?
I'll leave it at that because frankly, I don't think I have to add anything... Micklebot did the rest anyway
